Using Computers in the Classroom: A Boon or Bust?

Abstract

Much attention has been given in recent years to the essentials of incorporating information technology into educational curricula and especially into the classroom. This paper summarizes findings of teaching four sections of the same college course in the same style with one exception. Sections 1 and 3 had information technology available and made use of it whereas sections 2 and 4 met in a traditional classroom setting without technology. The author's hypothesis that students in sections 1 and 3 would perform significantly better than sections 2 and 4 when tested on microcomputing skills was disproved.